Whispering in the Wind (WITW 89) August 26, 2015
Sir Walter Scott wrote some 200 years ago: “Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first
practice to deceive.” Does this statement
describe what’s going on in politics today with the Mike Duffy trial and
Stephen Harper’s decision to have a lengthier election campaign?
Senate of Canada – Needs Fixing and an Overhaul
The Senate has been around since Confederation has a very
clear role: to give regional balance to Canada’s parliamentary system and offer
sober, second thought to proposed legislation.
Mr. Harper’s effort to reform the Senate appointment process (appoint
only “elected” senators) proved to be unacceptable to some provinces and the result,
the Senate remain unchanged. Historically
the Senate has been a haven for political favorites. More recently, the Senate’s business appears
to be less independent and at the beck and call of the ruling prime minister. As a result, the “Red Chamber” has become less
independent and simply an extension of the Prime Minister’s Office (the PMO) –
sober second thought has become irrelevant.
The Mike Duffy appointment in 2008 was clearly an appointment motivated
by a single, narrow political objective – fundraising for the Conservative
Party of Canada. As to implementing measures
to reform the structure and conduct of Canada’s Senate, it has become an
election issue. Liberal leader Justin
Trudeau declared Liberal Senators, Independent of the Liberal caucus and
suggested that a non-partisan process in appointing future senators, if he is
elected prime minister. The New Democrat
leader, Thomas Mulcair advocates the abolishment the Senate, a virtually
impossible stance if one sticks to Canada’s form of parliamentary governance. Stephen Harper is awaiting the provinces to
respond to his longstanding position of having an “elected” Senate. In the meantime Mr. Harper is on the campaign
trail hoping that that the Mike Duffy scandal and the court case attached to
his former “poster boy” will somehow be forgotten in the next few weeks and
well before Election Day.
The Duffy Trial – Unconscionable!
Nightly news broadcasts, have given Canadians the
opportunity to hear all about the inner workings of Prime Minister Harper’s
Office and how political power is being exercised, the Harper Way. As to whether the Duffy Trial exposes will have
an impact on October 19 election is still an open question, largely because the
legal judgement on the 31 charges against Mike Duffy won’t be made until 2016,
well after the October 19 election. As a
result, two questions are being asked by pundits like me: How will the opposition parties handle the
information and testimony already presented under oath? And secondly, what will
resonate with the Canadian electorate on October 19, Election Day? As it currently stands and as I’ve already written,
members of Mr. Harper’s Office have already been inconsistent in their
statements and have presented contradictory testimony – so somebody is lying! As to Mr. Harper’s consistent statement, that
he was not aware of Nigel Wright’s actions (his personal cheque to Duffy for
$90,000) and when he became aware, he took appropriate action – incredulous
assertions! Thomas Mulcair wrote to the
RCMP a week or so back suggesting that new information and how Mr. Wright answered
questions put to him at the Duffy Trial should prompt authorities to review
their decision made months ago about Mr. Wright’s culpability. Mr. Trudeau of the Liberals has suggested that
those responsible in the PMO for the interference in Senate affairs should be
dismissed. No doubt in my mind, the political
actions and apparent inconsistencies being undertaken by staff member of the
PMO must be exposed prior to Election Day.
Back to Scott
Sir Walter Scott wrote some 200 years ago: “Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first
practice to deceive.” In Canada, in
today’s election environment, how many conspiracies are there and who are the
true conspirators?
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